Community Partner Highlight: Terros Health and ACBVI Collaborate to Help Arizonans with Vision Loss

Did you know that over 200,000 Arizonans are blind or have vision loss? Visual impairment can affect physical health and quality of life.

“Before I lost my vision, I was very independent and worked all the time,” Kivel Hernandez stated. “When this happened to me, it was hard to ask for help.”

But few realize the toll vision loss can take on one’s mental health.

“It’s hard to keep your self-esteem high when you have to rely on your family for everything, and I became depressed,” Hernandez explained.

Terros Health and the Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ACBVI) joined forces to help Hernandez and hundreds of others affected by vision loss with their behavioral health needs. Funding from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Foundation for Community & Health Advancement supported a collaboration between the two organizations to better address mental health and substance use disorders among ACBVI clients.

“I’m a recovering addict, and I’m legally blind” another client, Logan Walker, said. “I’ve faced barriers like not having the resources to navigate my specific challenges or not knowing about them – so this collaboration between Terros Health and ACBVI has been the gateway to finding the resources I need.”

The Foundation’s grant funding made it possible for Terros Health to have a case manager and a community health worker on ACBVI’s campus to meet clients where they are.

“A lot of times there is a transportation barrier for these clients, it’s very difficult for them to get to their medical appointments,” Dr. Vanna Campion, Terros Health Chief Medical Officer explained. “This grant allowed us to provide those services on their campus so we can meet their needs.”

Walker said it made it much easier to navigate her overall health journey.

“I needed a counselor, and they helped me find counseling as well as a primary care doctor,” Walker continued. “It’s nice that it’s all right here in our own backyard. I feel like Terros and ACBVI are in my corner, and if I don’t know a phone number or how to do something, there will probably be a line of people to help.”

As a part of the support Terros Health is providing, clients with health disparities and social determinants of health needs are connected to relevant services for assistance with employment, housing, education, transportation, food security, and social engagement.

“A case manager does a lot of care coordinating helping patients navigate systems like social security, food banks, sometimes property management like housing – any kind of resource they might need,” Terros Health Case Manager Mariyah Dreza said. 

Clients we spoke with said the collaboration has made an immense difference in their lives.

“Both Terros and ACBVI have been such a great support system for me,” Hernandez said. “My goal in working with them was to live a more independent life, and they helped me every step of the way. Now I’m more confident and able to live by myself. They’ve been a great blessing in my life,” Hernandez added tearfully.

Dr. Campion said the funding provided by the Foundation allowed Terros Health to think outside of the box and address a need in the community that healthcare organizations often do not know how to meet.

“We are very grateful for the funding that the Foundation provided that allowed us to think about how we can best serve a very underserved patient population, and provide healthcare in a more inclusive manner,” Dr. Campion concluded.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Foundation, Terros Health, ACBVI, and the power of partnership!